The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on many dimensions of
living and working conditions, and uncertainties about the developments that we shall still
face in the near future. This paper analyses the implications of a forced overnight push to
online teaching. Drawing upon an online survey conducted during the 2020 lockdown by
the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, this article describes students’ living and
studying conditions revealed by a large set of open and closed questions. The survey
provides significant information on the students’ real off-campus conditions, crucial data
for the multidimensional analysis by combining non-parametric multivariate analysis of
closed questions with textual analyses. It offers important indications about the most useful
tools for inclusive teaching across thematic areas and highlights the main difficulties that
emerged during the lockdown. Reflections on advantages and disadvantages, strengths and
weaknesses in the innovative learning environment set up overnight are offered at a policy
level